Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka: Share of electricity generation from hydropower was 38.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
38.2%
Change on year
down 7.0%
World rank
54th
of 213 countries
All-time high
99.8%
in 1990
All-time low
27.1%
in 2017
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka, 1985–2025

204060801001985200520251985: 97.2 %1986: 99.8 %1987: 80.4 %1988: 92.8 %1989: 98 %1990: 99.8 %1991: 92.3 %1992: 81.9 %1993: 95.4 %1994: 93.2 %1995: 94 %1996: 71.8 %1997: 67 %1998: 69 %1999: 66.5 %2000: 47.3 %2001: 46.8 %2002: 38.9 %2003: 43.5 %2004: 36.7 %2005: 39.2 %2006: 49.2 %2007: 40.1 %2008: 41.7 %2009: 39.3 %2010: 52.6 %2011: 40.1 %2012: 28 %2013: 57.8 %2014: 36.6 %2015: 45.4 %2016: 29.7 %2017: 27.1 %2018: 39.9 %2019: 28.9 %2020: 30.2 %2021: 41.3 %2022: 40.4 %2023: 36.5 %2024: 41.1 %2025: 38.2 %

Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka is 38.2%, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 15.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka peaked at 99.8% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 27.1%, in 2017.

Sri Lanka ranks 54th of 213 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 93.6% 80.4% 99.8% 5
1990s 83.1% 66.5% 99.8% 10
2000s 42.3% 36.7% 49.2% 10
2010s 38.6% 27.1% 57.8% 10
2020s 37.9% 30.2% 41.3% 6

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

  1. 51 Sweden 40.0% compare
  2. 52 Guatemala 39.9% compare
  3. 53 Croatia 39.3% compare
  4. 55 Madagascar 37.0% compare
  5. 56 Bosnia and Herzegovina 36.6% compare
  6. 57 Ghana 35.4% compare

See the full ranking of 215 places →

More energy & mining data for Sri Lanka

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka?
Share of electricity generation from hydropower in Sri Lanka was 38.2% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
The highest recorded value was 99.8% in 1990.
What is the lowest share of electricity generation from hydropower recorded in Sri Lanka?
The lowest recorded value was 27.1% in 2017.
How does Sri Lanka rank for share of electricity generation from hydropower?
Sri Lanka ranks 54th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in Sri Lanka?
Over the last ten years it is down 15.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka data come from?
The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of electricity generation from hydropower
Unit
%
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
215 places, 6,588 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.